IRVINE, Calif. — For better or for worse, the Los Angeles Rams knew they had to figure out a plan for every receiver not named Cooper Kupp as they began their 2023 training camp.
They just didn’t know they’d be reminded of the “for worse” part so quickly. Kupp’s status remains fluid after he suffered a hamstring injury Tuesday and left practice with a medical staffer.
Advertisement
The absence of Kupp, who is quarterback Matthew Stafford’s favorite target by a wide margin, puts greater urgency on the development of the rest of the receivers behind him on the depth chart.
“Guys have to step up,” head coach Sean McVay said Tuesday after practice.
But the situation is … complicated.
No. 2 receiver Van Jefferson is returning from multiple knee injuries in 2022, and had two rest days through the first week of camp. McVay said those were “pre-planned,” but they could also indicate a preventative/load management schedule aimed at keeping Jefferson healthy into the season. Receiver Ben Skowronek, who sometimes was the Rams’ No. 3 receiver in 2022, sometimes their fullback and previously was a special teamer, missed Tuesday’s practice with back soreness and also missed OTAs. Behind those two players, there is either a dearth of overall game experience or, in the case of veteran free-agent additions Demarcus Robinson and Tyler Johnson, limited time in this specific offense.
That isn’t to say Robinson and Johnson haven’t impressed coaches.
“You know how we talk about it in our room, you’ve got to be a complete receiver,” said longtime wide receivers coach Eric Yarber. “Both (Robinson and Johnson), they have bought into that and they believe in that also.”
Robinson, who Yarber called “a great separator,” especially has been in the mix at multiple positions and has been tenacious in his pursuit of blocking work on run plays or sweeps. He also has made some truly impressive adjustments on would-be errant throws from the Rams’ backup quarterbacks that make him a friendly, steady target with a wider catch radius than you’d think.
“There’s been a lot of opportunities where he’s kind of been the primary … and he’s just got a good look in his eye,” McVay said. “I mean, he’s got a good swagger. You can just see the way that he even just moves around the field, he’s got confidence. You like those guys that want the ball. (He’s got) that nice kind of edge where he is not afraid to go or do anything other than go attack an opportunity to make a play. If it doesn’t go his way, he’s like, ‘I can’t wait for that next opp.’ That’s the mindset you want to have on this team as a whole and I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from Demarcus.”
Advertisement
A depth chart that goes: Kupp, Jefferson, (competition at No. 3), Robinson, Skowronek, Johnson/Lance McCutcheon, (competition at No. 8 if the roster math allows) makes a lot of sense (and aligns with what I see and hear at training camp), but there is still a lot of time between now and the season-opener in September.
What exactly is “(competition at No. 3)”?
Again, it’s a little more complicated than names on a list. Limited to just the No. 3 position written on paper, it might be between third-year receiver Tutu Atwell and rookie Puka Nacua. But within the broader reality of the Rams’ offense, in theory both Atwell and Nacua should be able to eventually play their important and multi-faceted “F” position, that Kupp normally occupies (Nacua could currently project into a “Z” role, but developing into the “F” that some draft evaluators believe he can be would probably take some time, whereas Atwell has been working to learn that position among others, including “Z” and “X”, over the last two years). That doesn’t imply, though, that whoever fills in at the “F” instead of Kupp would then automatically be the No. 1 receiver. It also doesn’t imply that just one receiver would occupy that role full time, for however long Kupp is out. But when Kupp is on the field, if he is the “F” or otherwise, then he has been the No. 1 receiver. Get it?
OK, so throw out the traditional workload associated with those letters “X”, “Y”, “Z” and “F”. The bottom line is, the more a player can do matters, especially right now.
“Coach (McVay) is good at, no matter what ‘letter’ you are, he can put you in position to do your job,” Yarber said.
Nacua had a significant workload in spring OTAs despite his rookie status, and that has not changed. Over the next few weeks without Kupp, he’ll vault into an even larger role alongside the more veteran players.
Advertisement
“I love what I’ve seen from Puka,” Yarber said. “How physical he is, how fast he plays. The game is not too big for him. He’s not gonna look overly impressive in laundry. But when the pads come on, when the ‘clickety-clacks’ and the hitting starts, that’s when he’s most impressive. You can see it in how well he stays grounded catching the football, running through the (catch) and making it hard for guys to tackle him.”
Ideally, the Rams would be able to make Atwell their full-time No. 3 this season, but that comes with rules: That No. 3 spot has to be filled by a player who can do multiple things.
This is an 11 personnel team, and McVay will continue to run a wide variety of plays out of three-receiver pre-snap looks. Those three receivers have to be able to stay on the field without many substitutions, in order to accomplish the “illusion of complexity” that has long been the slogan of this system. Substituting players also kills tempo (another McVay weapon) and even can be “tells” about situational roles for receivers. At one point in 2022, everybody knew that if Atwell was subbed onto the field he’d likely be sent on a deep shot, probably schemed up out of a play-action concept.
Not this year.
It shows a marked step in Atwell’s all-around development that he is playing multiple receiving positions this spring and into training camp, especially when other players are unavailable.
“That gives him great ownership of the offense, Tutu playing all the spots (and) moving around,” Yarber said. “It helps his development big time. He gets to learn the intricacies of the offense from every position’s perspective, and he’s been doing a great job. He takes pride in it, in being a smart athlete. … He’s a very sharp individual.”
GO DEEPER
Learning curve apparent for Rams backup QBs on Matthew Stafford rest day
Yarber said that Atwell also has a better understanding of how to use his smaller frame to his advantage as a blocker, a critical tool for a receiver in this offense to have. Atwell is working his blocks with a lower center of gravity, for example.
“Tutu is like a little ant, pound-for-pound he’s one of the strongest on the team,” said Yarber, smiling. “He can get in there and block. If he shows it once, you make him do it again. You don’t have to knock people down; what you have to be is a pest in there. A mosquito, pestering guys. Blocking on the perimeter is ‘want to’, attitude, and technique. You don’t have to be an overpowering (person) and that’s what he’s learning now.”
Advertisement
Finally, what does “(competition at No. 8, if the roster math allows)” mean? If the Rams keep eight receivers, the No. 8 probably has to return punts and kickoffs and so players who are lower on the depth chart could gain an edge here. Xavier Smith, Austin Trammell, and Braxton Burmeister could be battling for this spot. If the Rams don’t keep eight receivers, Nacua and Atwell were also practicing returns as camp began, and so was running back Kyren Williams.
“I would love to keep as many (receivers) as possible,” Yarber said, “because I love developing receivers and seeing them, they’re like putty. You got a handful of putty, and then you make it into a work of art. I like developing those guys and seeing them grow.”
(Top photo of Puka Nacua: Ric Tapia / AP Photo)
The Football 100, the definitive ranking of the NFL’s best 100 players of all time, goes on sale this fall. Pre-order it here.